Is Uber coming to Reno?

RENO, Nev. (MyNews4.com & KRNV) --A popular rideshare company that’s been rapidly growing around the world may be headed to the Reno/Tahoe area.

We’re talking about Uber.

Many Reno taxi drivers spend their day at the Reno-Tahoe International Airport, just hoping for one customer.

“I have to wait two or three hours just to make one trip,” says Mohammed Uddin, who has been driving a taxi for 14 years.

Uddin says he’s ready for a change.

“I just want to be driving, the way I want to drive, not have to go through dispatch, have the rules, have the regulation, and just be part of the system.”

The change Uddin is looking for may be found in Uber. The company, based out of San Francisco, uses a Smartphone app to connect passengers in need of a ride with drivers with the touch of a button.

“Uber,” says Uddin, “When they give you a call, they take some money. The rest of the money goes into my account. It’s a nice way to do business.”

The company has been posting ads on Facebook in recent months, trying to recruit drivers. A tactic, which according to Transportation Authority Chairman Andrew Mackay, is perfectly legal.

“Uber, at the present time, is completely in compliance with the law. Just because they’re trying to recruit potential drivers, there’s nothing unlawful about it."

Uber has shied away from being labeled as a taxi cab company by claiming to be a tech company, and that they are simply the bridge between a network of drivers and their potential customers.

“They don’t provide the transportation,” says Mackay, “They simply facilitate it, and as long as they facilitate it through existing licensed carriers, then it’s perfectly permissible by law today.”

Las Vegas taxi cab unions protested after the company posted ads online to recruit drivers in southern Nevada. Cab drivers in cities like New York and San Francisco are also struggling as a result of the service.

Uber has not said where exactly they are looking to operate in Reno/Tahoe area, or when services will begin.

According to an Uber spokesperson, the company has been receiving requests for months about bringing Uber to Reno/Lake Tahoe and they are, "excited about the Lake Tahoe Market and look forward to exploring opportunities in the future."